


I Love You

by DetectivePrettyBoy



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Gen, Robin!Jay, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 05:42:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5731552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectivePrettyBoy/pseuds/DetectivePrettyBoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason’s wasted more paper than he’d like to admit. Dozens and dozens of line filled paper littered with three simple words in hopes that he’d grow some balls and spit it out already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love You

Jason writes it out to get a feel of it at first.

_I love you._

It’s easy. He can write it out no problem.

Jason can look himself in the mirror and say it.

“I love you.”

But as soon as he comes up to Bruce, ready to say the words, they get caught in his throat and won’t come out.

“I-”

Bruce looks up at him, expectant, waiting and Jason just _can’t_.

“I, uh, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go with me and Alfred to the bookstore after school tomorrow? Alf told me how you like looking for first edition stuff, and I figured, y’know- why not ask?” He tries hard not to shuffle his feet or fidget like Alfred told him in practice for the galas he had to go through. Knew Bruce would probably see right through him if he did that, probably did anyway.

But Bruce smiles, not the smile that Jason sees him put on for the media, not the one he has on his face when talking to Vicki Vale on the phone, or the one he has in meetings- but an honest to god _Bruce_ smile, and says, “Sure, son. I’d love to.”

Jason feels like a coward. Bruce can say ‘son’- has been calling him son- makes it seem to come off his lips so easy. Jason’s done worse things that require a lot more guts than saying ‘I love you’. Much less than gathering up the courage of calling Bruce _Dad._

They’re just _words_ . So why is it so _hard?_

“Yeah? Chili dogs too after?” Jason pushes, because Bruce almost always lets him. Craves getting to spend as much time with Bruce as possible.

The man huffs out a laugh and it makes Jason grin in return, “Sounds like a plan, Jay.”

After Jason leaves the room he sits down and writes it again over and over.

_I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you, Dad. I love you-_

 

-

 

“Slow down, Jay, your food isn’t going anywhere.”

Jason takes the time to chew what he has in his mouth, barely swallowing before he has the next sentence coming out of his mouth, “But Bruce, do you get it? He doesn’t have any motivation to do anything, he simply does it because he _wants_ to. I mean, there’s the argument that he was getting back at Othello for a rumor that he slept with his wife and that he was getting back at him for not making Iago his first, but he literally created a shit storm-”

“Language, Jason.”

“- _just because he can._ Ain’t it crazy?” He finishes.

“Isn’t it.” Bruce corrects, but he’s smiling all the same. Reaching out and ruffling the boy’s curls, “So you’re enjoying your classes, I take it?”

Jason nods, grinning around a mouthful another of food. “Imph’s great.”

Bruce chuckles, doesn’t bother to chide Jason as he brushes the boy’s hair back. Sounds proud when he says, “Good.”

And this? This is what’s got Jason wondering about love. How it can be shown in different ways and have different meanings. He takes this comfortableness he has with Bruce and counts it as love. Feels it with the thread of the older man’s fingers in his hair. Jason knows Bruce even skipped a meeting so they could do this. He’s been sitting here listening to Jason rattle off about _Shakespeare_ and talk about school.

That shows love. Shows that he really means something to Bruce and it’s the best feeling in the world.

“My favorite character’s Desdemona.”

“Oh?” Bruce’s hand comes down to rest on his shoulder, a warm weight that grounds him, “Why’s that?”

“She’s virtuous in every sense of the word. She means stuff when she says it and she’s got a pure heart. She makes me think there really is good out there.” he takes another bite of the chili dog, swallowing before adding, “She reminds me of you.”

Bruce pauses at that but Jason doesn’t see it, too busy eating the last of his chili dog before pointing to Bruce’s and asking, “You gonna eat that?”

The man hands it over without a word.

 

-

 

_I love you._

Bruce shows his love in a lot of ways. Opening his home up to Jason, taking on raising him, training him to be Robin- he’s not good at saying it but he’s good at showing it.

Like right now, waiting for Bruce to finish his coffee and wake up more so he can take Jason to school even when he’s cranky from lack of sleep. They’re sitting at the table in content silence, and Jason couldn’t be happier for these mornings. These little inside moments he gets to see of Bruce that only Dick or Alfred have seen before. Bruce groggily wiping at his eyes and sipping at his coffee in his ridiculous robe. Trying to read the newspaper even though he keeps reading the same section over and over.

It’s a sign of trust. A trust Jason hopes the man will always have in him.

He’s been thinking of some of the ways he could show he loved Bruce back.

One of the main ways he’s decided to show it is to quit smoking. Alfred’s helping him so he can keep it underwraps from Bruce. He craves it bad, can feel the itch in his fingers and the tingling in his lips for that calming smoke. But he reminds himself over and over that his relationship with Bruce makes him feel better than any cig could.

It helps.

 

-

 

Jason’s wasted more paper than he’d like to admit. Dozens and dozens of line filled paper littered with three simple words in hopes that he’d grow some balls and spit it out already.

Practice makes perfect, though.

So he wastes more time in front of a mirror saying it. Says it before he leaves his room to go downstairs and see Bruce to chicken out again. Says it in the cave before Bruce comes down for patrol. Says it at night before he goes to sleep so he can gear himself up for morning.

He doesn’t know why it bothers him so much, why he can’t just _say_ it. He’s said it to his Mom thousands of times and it never took any effort.

“I love you, Mom.” He tells the mirror in his bathroom. Remembers the way her smile would glow between the locks of her auburn hair, the way her eyes would zero in on him like he was the whole world when she said it back.

Remembers the dull version of it when she was high. It was dim, but it was there.

“I love you, Mom.” Jason chokes, watches the way his face contorts in the mirror before it’s blurred by tears.

 

-

 

He hates the cold. Hates it for the freezing nights and empty stomachs it reminds him of.

Makes him wish Dick actually wore pants and a longer cape with the uniform.

Jason lets out a small hiss, shuddering for a moment to get the chills away before resuming in letting his teeth chatter.

“Cold?” Robin glances at Batman before refocusing his gaze back out to the docks.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

He hears the man shift, quirks up an eyebrow when he sees B sat down on the ledge and opened up his cape.

“C’mere.” It’s soft but it’s an order, Jason drags himself and his pixie boots over. Letting Bruce tug him onto his lap and wrap his cape around the both of them. “It might take awhile for them to show up,” is all Batman has to say.

Jason takes a moment to be dumbfounded over this small gesture, then tells himself to get over it and relaxes into Bruce’s warmth. A dumb smile that he can’t help creeps onto his face.

“If you say so.”

B hums in response.

 

-

 

They’ve been sitting in the cave and looking over case work for hours. Long enough to make Jason stir crazy. Long enough for him to slowly gather up what courage he had and taking daring glances at Bruce. With each glance he gained more confidence in the words and-

“Hey, Bruce?”

Now or never.

The man looks up and this time Jason doesn’t feel the sickening feeling of doubt washing over him, can only feel his heart racing when he says, “I love you.”

Bruce blinks, setting down the file he was looking at and the doubt creeps back in on Jason for a moment before the man huffs softly. A warm smile gracing his lips, “I love you too, Jay.”

Jason grins, stupid on this sudden happy feeling that’s taken over in his chest, “Yeah?”

“Of course, I do.” He reaches out and brushes his fingers through Jay’s curls again and Jason feels like he’s sick on some fever dream.

“Really?”

“ _Yes_ , Jay,” Bruce laughs, hand leaving the younger to pick up the case file again.

“Alright, just making sure.” Jason looks down at his files again, the cave settling in companionable silence once more.

He feels more relaxed than he’s been in ages. Like a sudden weight’s off his chest.

“Hey, Dad?” Bruce looks up immediately at that, “Thanks. For everything.”

Bruce smiles again and suddenly looks ten years younger, “You’re welcome, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lil happy Jay isn't written enough and it's a crime


End file.
